Ventura attorney Richard Norman found that the committee’s transfer of $8,700 from Strickland’s aborted campaign for secretary of state to her campaign fund for Ventura County supervisor constitutes a violation, assuming it occurred.

Such transfers are allowed under the county’s campaign finance ordinance, but they cannot exceed $700, Norman wrote. The attorney was charged with conducting the initial review of a citizen’s complaint for the county Campaign Finance Ethics Commission.

Strickland denied Thursday that her campaign did anything wrong.

“To say this is cheating is absolutely unfair,” she said. “We indeed reported it all. We did not hide anything.”

The Strickland campaign does not dispute the transfer was made. But attorney Michael R.W. Houston said that it doesn’t violate the county finance law for two reasons: The transfer involved a single candidate’s funds, not those between candidates; and none of the individual contributions exceeded $700.

Citing federal court and state attorney general opinions, Houston said the county cannot ban transfers between the same candidate’s accounts, calling that “unconstitutional and unenforceable.”

Strickland’s campaign treasurer, Lysa Ray, said she believed the transfer was proper, based on her reading of the ordinance, court rulings and a discussion with an official in the county elections office.

John Fonti, a Thousand Oaks voter who filed the complaint, said the Strickland campaign should have waited for a ruling from the county ethics commission.

“I think it’s a serious violation,” he said. “Their only defense is we don’t think it’s a constitutional law, so it’s OK.”

Houston said the ethics commission is not empowered to make advisory opinions so that was not an option.

Norman’s review is only one step in processing the complaint. It has now gone to another attorney to investigate the facts, attempt a settlement and report to the commission.

The panel can levy a fine of up to three times the amount of the disallowed money, issue a fine up to $5,000 for each violation, issue a cease and desist order, or find no violation has occurred. But it’s not clear whether there will be any resolution before the June 8 primary, when Strickland will be attempting to oust Linda Parks from her seat representing the Thousand Oaks area.

Fonti has previously voted for and given money to Parks, but the certified public accountant says that’s irrelevant to his complaint.

The money came to Strickland’s campaign for secretary of state from several corporations and other interests. The Republican legislator established a committee to run for secretary of state a year and a half ago, but says she abandoned the effort after realizing a statewide run for office would take away too much time from her family.

“My daughter Ruby is entering kindergarten this fall,” she said. “I’ve seen what it takes to run statewide, and it’s not a good fit for my family.”

She subsequently decided to run for county treasurer before the Board of Supervisors changed the qualifications, then she decided to run for county supervisor.